Mr. NIELDS: Was the President aware of your U.S. operation to
raise funds for the Contras from private contributors?

Mr. NORTH: Well, I think that that PROF notes right there indicates that I believed he was. But I didn't ever walk in and by the
way say to him, "Mr. President, this is what I—" I know I have
been accused of those kinds of things, but I didn't do that.
And the fact is that I assumed, and I think that is a fairly clear
indication I am sending my boss what I thought was going to be a
very private note that would never see the light of day anywhere
else, and I said to him what I felt. And I was asking him for guidance.

Mr. NIELDS: And he certainly didn't tell you to stop?

Mr. NORTH: Why would he? We were conducting a covert operation to support the Nicaraguan Resistance, to carry out the President of the United States' stated, publicly-articulated foreign
policy.
Why should he tell me to stop? We weren't breaking any laws.
We were simply trying to keep an operation covert.